Supporting Syria and the Region Donors’ Conference in London

Syria is the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis. Billions of dollars in international aid are needed to support people caught up in the conflict.

The Supporting Syria and the Region conference brought together world leaders from around the globe to rise to the challenge of raising the money needed to help millions of people whose lives have been torn apart by the devastating civil war. The UK, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, and the United Nations co-hosted the conference in London on 4 February to raise significant new funding to meet the immediate and longer-term needs of those affected.

The conference raised over US$ 11 billion in pledges – $5.8 billion for 2016 and a further $5.4 billion for 2017-20 to enable partners to plan ahead. The European Union pledged $3.3bn this year and intends to "maintain this level of financing" for 2017 and beyond. The UK pledged an extra $1.7bn until 2020, Germany committed to $2.6bn until 2018, France said it would give $1bn and the US pledged an extra $925m for 2016. Australia, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Japan, the UAE, Austria, Switzerland, Estonia, Denmark and Finland, along with the World Bank and the European Investment Bank, were among those who also committed funds.

But raising billions in financial support alone will not provide a long-term solution to this protracted humanitarian disaster. The conference also set itself ambitious goals on education and economic opportunities to transform the lives of refugees caught up in the Syrian crisis – and to support the countries hosting them. Read the co-hosts final statement on the conference outcomes. The event built on 3 previous conferences that have been generously hosted in Kuwait.

The Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) is a multi-partner platform where development agencies, Governments, local authorities and civil society from around the Mediterranean convene in order to exchange knowledge, discuss public policies, and identify the solutions needed to address key challenges facing the Mediterranean region.